Recruiting
FAQs
When should I start the recruiting process?
Best to start during your freshman year.
How important are grades and test scores?
Important, as good as your statistics in volleyball.
What is an official and unofficial visit?
Official is where the visit is paid for by the team or athletic department. Unofficial is where you visit the college on your own expense.
What should I look for in a potential college?
As an athlete you have more to think about when considering what school you might want to attend then a normal student. You need to consider the normal things like the educational and social opportunities, but also does the athletic program fit what you are looking for. Here are some of the questions I use when helping athletes.
What questions can I ask when calling a coach for the first time?
To help you prepare for your first contact with a coach it’s always a good idea to write out your questions ahead of time that way you can make sure you cover all your bases and you can easily take notes. The more you communicate with the coach, the easier it will be to figure out if you are both on the same page. Is there a connection between you and the coach? Do you feel comfortable? Is this someone you can imagine playing for? When you make first contact with them, you’ll want to make sure you walk away knowing the answers to these questions.
1. Can I meet with you if I make an unofficial visit? Unofficial visits are vital to
coaches. This is a great way for them to meet you in person before your senior
year. If a coach doesn’t seem interested in meeting you while you’re on an
unofficial visit, this might be very telling and will let you know that they are not
interested in you as a recruit.
2. Where do you typically evaluate your recruits? Coaches normally look at videos,
but they always have particular tournaments, meets, showcases, or camps where
they evaluate athletes. If you have a clearer picture of where a coach is going to be,
then you can make your schedule available to be at those events as well.
3. Do you have any camps, tournaments, or showcases you recommend I attend?
This question sits hand in hand with the previous question you should ask. If they
tell you to go to a certain camp or showcase, it not only means they use that
particular event as an evaluation tool, but the athletes that go to those particular
events are the caliber of athletes that they are looking for. This will give you a great
gauge of where to be and how good you need to be.
4. How is your recruiting class looking for your graduation year? This will allow you
to know where you stand among your recruiting class. Coaches may not disclose
who they’re recruiting and the depth that they’re recruiting for your particular
position, but you will have a clearer picture of what to expect during your
recruiting year.
5. What is the best way for you to update them on your progress? You will want to
make it as convenient as possible for coaches to get your updates. They all have
preferred methods, and you’ll want to make sure you know what their preference is.
6. What does it take to earn a scholarship from your program? Make sure you ask
the coach up front what they are looking for in a recruit both academically and
athletically. This will tell you right off the bat if you are a good fit for their program
or where you will need to improve in order to line up with the rest of the team.
7. What are good academic goals for your university? This will allow you to make
sure that you are on target to qualify for the university on an academic level. Many
times students meet or exceed athletic requirements for a program, but are denied
recruitment because they don’t meet the academic qualifications for the university.
Asking a coach what the academic requirements are, will let you know if you are
even able to be recruited by them.
What is my coach’s role in recruiting?
Many high school athletes assume that their high school or club coach will get them recruited to a college athletic program. Most of the time, this is not the case. While your coach is a terrific resource when it comes to advice and tips for recruiting, they will not do the work for you. If your goal is to get recruited to play in college, it is up to you, not your coach.
Do I need a recruiting highlight video?
College coaches use recruiting highlight videos to decide if they want to pursue and recruit an athlete. Despite what you might think, coaches aren’t discovering talent when then attends games or tournaments. They come to these events with a specific list of recruits they want to make second and third evaluations of; they made their initial evaluations on the athletes highlight or skills tape. The video should be a maximum of 2 minutes. Start with your best plays first and make it easy to identify yourself.
When can I contact a college coach?
You are allowed to email or call a college coach at anytime. NCAA rules restrict when and how a coach can respond to you; but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be reaching out to coaches as soon as you identify that school as one you are interested in.
When should I start the recruiting process?
Best to start during your freshman year.
How important are grades and test scores?
Important, as good as your statistics in volleyball.
What is an official and unofficial visit?
Official is where the visit is paid for by the team or athletic department. Unofficial is where you visit the college on your own expense.
What should I look for in a potential college?
As an athlete you have more to think about when considering what school you might want to attend then a normal student. You need to consider the normal things like the educational and social opportunities, but also does the athletic program fit what you are looking for. Here are some of the questions I use when helping athletes.
What questions can I ask when calling a coach for the first time?
To help you prepare for your first contact with a coach it’s always a good idea to write out your questions ahead of time that way you can make sure you cover all your bases and you can easily take notes. The more you communicate with the coach, the easier it will be to figure out if you are both on the same page. Is there a connection between you and the coach? Do you feel comfortable? Is this someone you can imagine playing for? When you make first contact with them, you’ll want to make sure you walk away knowing the answers to these questions.
1. Can I meet with you if I make an unofficial visit? Unofficial visits are vital to
coaches. This is a great way for them to meet you in person before your senior
year. If a coach doesn’t seem interested in meeting you while you’re on an
unofficial visit, this might be very telling and will let you know that they are not
interested in you as a recruit.
2. Where do you typically evaluate your recruits? Coaches normally look at videos,
but they always have particular tournaments, meets, showcases, or camps where
they evaluate athletes. If you have a clearer picture of where a coach is going to be,
then you can make your schedule available to be at those events as well.
3. Do you have any camps, tournaments, or showcases you recommend I attend?
This question sits hand in hand with the previous question you should ask. If they
tell you to go to a certain camp or showcase, it not only means they use that
particular event as an evaluation tool, but the athletes that go to those particular
events are the caliber of athletes that they are looking for. This will give you a great
gauge of where to be and how good you need to be.
4. How is your recruiting class looking for your graduation year? This will allow you
to know where you stand among your recruiting class. Coaches may not disclose
who they’re recruiting and the depth that they’re recruiting for your particular
position, but you will have a clearer picture of what to expect during your
recruiting year.
5. What is the best way for you to update them on your progress? You will want to
make it as convenient as possible for coaches to get your updates. They all have
preferred methods, and you’ll want to make sure you know what their preference is.
6. What does it take to earn a scholarship from your program? Make sure you ask
the coach up front what they are looking for in a recruit both academically and
athletically. This will tell you right off the bat if you are a good fit for their program
or where you will need to improve in order to line up with the rest of the team.
7. What are good academic goals for your university? This will allow you to make
sure that you are on target to qualify for the university on an academic level. Many
times students meet or exceed athletic requirements for a program, but are denied
recruitment because they don’t meet the academic qualifications for the university.
Asking a coach what the academic requirements are, will let you know if you are
even able to be recruited by them.
What is my coach’s role in recruiting?
Many high school athletes assume that their high school or club coach will get them recruited to a college athletic program. Most of the time, this is not the case. While your coach is a terrific resource when it comes to advice and tips for recruiting, they will not do the work for you. If your goal is to get recruited to play in college, it is up to you, not your coach.
Do I need a recruiting highlight video?
College coaches use recruiting highlight videos to decide if they want to pursue and recruit an athlete. Despite what you might think, coaches aren’t discovering talent when then attends games or tournaments. They come to these events with a specific list of recruits they want to make second and third evaluations of; they made their initial evaluations on the athletes highlight or skills tape. The video should be a maximum of 2 minutes. Start with your best plays first and make it easy to identify yourself.
When can I contact a college coach?
You are allowed to email or call a college coach at anytime. NCAA rules restrict when and how a coach can respond to you; but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be reaching out to coaches as soon as you identify that school as one you are interested in.
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